Health Highlights: March 24, 2017

Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by the editors of HealthDay:

Almost 1 Million Pounds of Breaded Chicken Recalled

Concerns over the possibility of bits of metal in its product has led OK Food, Inc., to recall almost a million pounds of breaded chicken from the market.

A notice posted on the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) website states that the Oklahoma City-based company is recalling more than 933,000 pounds of breaded chicken "that may be contaminated with extraneous materials, specifically metal." The products were shipped to stores nationwide.

According to the USDA, there have been five consumer complaints wherein metal bits were found in the chicken products, as well as being spotted during FSIS inspection of the products.

OK Food has conducted its own internal investigation and found that the metal came from a processing plant conveyor belt. There have not yet been any reports of injury or adverse reactions from consumption of the affected products.

The ready-to-eat chicken portions were produced between Dec. 19, 2016 and March 7, 2017, and bear establishment number P-7092 inside the USDA mark of inspection. Consumers should not eat the chicken, but instead throw it away or return it to the point of purchase.

Further information can be obtained by contacting Abby Brown at 479-321-2409.

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New Method Offers Unlimited Red Blood Cell Production: Study

A major advance towards mass production of red blood cells that can be used for donation has been announced by U.K. researchers.

It's already possible to produce red blood cells it the lab, but not on a large scale, BBC News reported.

Currently, stem cells that make red blood cells are coaxed into doing so in the lab, but each cell burns out after producing a maximum of 50,000 red blood cells. The new approach captures the stem cells at an early stage and they provide an unlimited supply of red blood cells.

"We have demonstrated a feasible way to sustainably manufacture red cells for clinical use," said Jan Frayne, one of the researchers, BBC News reported. "We've grown litres of it."

The study was published in the journal Nature Communications.

This new method will be much more expensive than conventional donation, so is likely to be used for people with very rare blood types, BBC News reported.